Divest From War, Invest In Peace, Reclaim Armistice Day

A network of 187 organizations has come together to urge a mass protest against the military parade in November called for by President Trump. The military parade is widely opposed. Army Times conducted a poll of its readers; 51,000 responded and 89 percent said, “No, It’s a waste of money and troops are too busy.” A Quinnipiac University poll found 61 percent of voters disapprove of the military parade, while only 26 percent support the idea. The national consensus is there should not be a military parade.

The organizations signed on to a letter that calls for the parade to be stopped, “We reject this gross display of power and violence. We call on you to stop the military parade.” If the parade goes forward, the organizations will urge their members to come to Washington, DC to protest the parade or to organize sister-protests in their communities. Urge organizations you are a member of to sign on. This is an issue that impacts the economy, jobs, the environment, as well as wars and militarism. Sign on here.

The groups call on the nation to divest from war and invest in peace. The United States’ military budget is growing, now constituting 57% of federal discretionary spending, while programs for domestic needs such as food, education, housing and health care are being cut and US militarization is impacting most of the countries of the world, as well as our schools and communities.

President Trump plans to spend more than $10 million dollars to parade troops and military vehicles and weapons through the streets of Washington, DC on Veterans Day, which this year is the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. Armistice Day used to be a day to reflect on the impacts of war and to build toward war no longer being an instrument of foreign policy, not a day to glorify war with a military parade. Veterans and military families are organizing a solemn march in DC on November 11 to remember those who have been killed, both soldiers and civilians, and the 20 veterans who commit suicide every day and to reclaim Armistice Day.

While it is President Trump who is calling for the parade, both major political parties are responsible for escalating US militarization and aggression throughout the world and in the US. Members of Congress voted nearly unanimously to give the Pentagon a record $716 billion budget and are complicit in escalating tensions with Russia, North Korea, Iran, Nicaragua and Venezuela, among others.

Many groups are organizing to stop this parade, reclaim Veteran’s Day as Armistice Day and call for demilitarization and investment in programs that protect and support our communities in positive ways. The people of the United States need to show the world that we do not support never-ending war and aggression by our country. We urge people around the world to create sister-protests at US embassies to show their opposition to US militarism.

The US military is the largest carbon emitter in the world and in this era of climate change, there should no longer be wars for oil. This is one example of many of how militarism impacts other issues. Opposition to war spending and military activity needs to unite movements for a transformational change in US foreign policy.

The organizations intend to make the response in opposition to President Trump’s military parade bigger than the parade itself. Events for the weekend include a “Peace Rocks” Concert organized by CODEPINK on Friday, Nov. 9; along with Catharsis on the Mall, a Burning Man-like vigil for healing. The protest of the military parade will be on Nov. 10. This will be followed by the veteran and military family-led solemn march through the war monuments on the mall on Nov. 11 at 11:00 am to recognize the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day.

The Anti-war Autumn will be kicked off by the Women’s March on the Pentagonon October 20 and 21, followed by a daily vigil at the Pentagon to connect the Women’s March to the protest against the military parade.

The Following Letter Is Being Sent To Members Of Congress To Call For The Military Parade To Be Cancelled:

DIVEST FROM WAR * INVEST IN PEACE

President Trump has ordered a military parade to be held in Washington, DC to showcase “the price of freedom” on November 10, 2018. This glorification of war, which will cost millions of dollars, comes at a time when the United States is provoking more war and the military industrial complex is consuming a growing proportion, now almost two thirds, of our discretionary spending. Militarism has invaded our communities where police treat residents as “the enemy,” demonstrators are met with tanks and recruiters are allowed into schools. Militarism has also infected our national psyche by normalizing violence as armed men shoot and kill in our schools, stores and offices.

We reject this gross display of power and violence. We call on you to stop the military parade.

We have had enough of war and are ready to put an end to it. Its basic purposes are to enrich the weapons-makers and to secure cheap resources and labor for global corporations. War is killing hundreds of thousands of civilians and displacing millions of people. US aggression is causing increased insecurity and an assault on our freedom as we must now submit to searches before we can travel or enter buildings that once had open doors.

The cost of war is great. Our infrastructure is failing. Poverty is growing, and the social safety net is disintegrating. Our children are hungry, our families are unhoused and our air, land and water are polluted. Our veterans are in such despair that 20 of them, mostly young veterans, are committing suicide each day.

We, groups who advocate for peace and justice, are organizing a celebration of peace in Washington, DC and across the country from November 9 to 11. On Sunday, November 11, the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the World War I, veterans and military family members will lead a solemn procession to reclaim this day as a time to remember the cost of war and the preciousness of peace.

We urge you now to do all in your power to stop the military parade on November 10. The vast majority of people in the US and around the world crave peace.

If the parade goes forward, we will mobilize thousands of people on that day to protest it.

It is time to divest from the wars at home and abroad and invest in peace.

Signed,

A Future Without War

Alliance for Democracy

Alliance for Global Justice

Arlington (MA) United for Justice with Peace

Atlanta Grandmothers for Peace

Baltimore Palestine Solidarity

Battle Creek Voices of Peace

Be The Change

Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace

Beyond Nuclear

Black Alliance for Peace

Brandywine Peace Community

Brooklyn For Peace

Buddhist Peace Action Vermont

Center for Conscience in Action

Center for Global Justice

Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility

Chicago ALBA Solidarity

Chicago Anti-War Coalition

Citizens’ Environmental Coalition

Coalition Against U.S. foreign Military Bases

Coalition for a Nuclear Free Great Lakes

CODEPINK

Colorado Veterans

Community Organizing Center for Mother Earth

Concerned Families of Westchester

Consistent Life Network

Corey E. Olsen Pipe Organs/Golden Ponds Farm

Crab Shell Alliance

Democratic World Federalists

Elder Rising

Elgin Green Groups 350.org

Environmentalists Against War

Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR-USA)

First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis

Fox Valley Citizens for Peace & Justice

Freedom Road Socialist Organization

Freedom Socialist Party – U.S.

Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space

Granny Peace Brigade, New York City

Greater Boston United for Justice with Peace Coalition

Green Party, Pinellas County, FL

Green Party, Maryland

Green Party, Montgomery County, Maryland

Green Party of Michigan

Green Party, Capital Area, Michigan

Green Party of New Jersey

Green Party of Ocean County, New Jersey

Green Party of the United States

Green Party U. S. Peace Action Committee

Green Women Rising

Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action

Hands Off Syria Coalition

Indivisible Omaha

International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity

International Peace Resource Center Library

InterReligious Task Force on Central America & Colombia

Itasca County Indivisible of Minnesota

Jemez Peacemakers

Joy Mennonite Church – Oklahoma City

Kinzua Country Indivisible

Know Drones

Korean American National Coordinating Council

Labor Fightback Network

Labor United For Class Struggle-LABOR TODAY

League of Young Communists, USA

LEPOCO Peace Center (Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern)

Libertarian Party of Wayne County, MI

Little Falls Occ U Pie

Metro Justice Peace Action and Education

Michigan Welfare Rights Organization

Military Families Speak Out

Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild

MLK Coalition of Greater Los Angeles

MoreLife

Movement For People’s Democracy

Movimiento Todos Por La Paz

Neighbors East and West

New Jersey State Industrial Union Council

New Progressive Alliance

New Wineskins Catholic Worker

Newton Dialogues on Peace and War

Nonviolent Peaceforce

NW Alliance for Alternative Media and Education

Northwest Suburban Peace & Education Project

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Nuclear Ban US

Nuclear Energy Information Service

Nuclear Watch South

NYC Jericho Amnesty Movement

Occupy Wall Street Special Projects Affinity Group

On Earth Peace

Party of Communists USA

Pax Christi Illinois

Pax Christi Lansing

Pax Christi Michigan

Pax Christi Seed Planters

Peace Action – Baltimore

Peace Action – Massachusetts

Peace Action – Michigan

Peace Action – New York

Peace Alliance National Department of Peacebuilding Committee

Peace and Freedom Party

Peninsula Peace and Justice Center

People For A New Society

Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign

Popular Resistance

Public Intellectuals for Social and Spare Change

Raging Grannies, New York Metro

Refuge Ministries of Tampa Bay International

Revolution Resource

Revolutionary Road Radio Show

Richmond Counterculture

Rogan’s List

Rooms for Peace

Saint Mary’s Area United Way

Self-Sovereign Individual Project

Show Up! America

SLO Mothers for Peace

Socialist Action

Solidareca Bonvolo

Stafford Indivisible Community Action Network

Stop Recruiting Kids Campaign Coalition

Syracuse Peace Council

Temitope Motivational Foundation

The Center for Transformational Practice

The Leaven Community

The Metta Center for Nonviolence

The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth

The Nuclear Resister

The Oracle Institute (Home of the Peace Pentagon)

The Peace Resource

The Resistance Center for Peace and Justice

Topanga Peace Alliance

Trade Justice Alliance

Tree of Trust

United Church of Christ, Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility

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